THE BLACK HERMIT _ PLAY
THE BLACK HERMIT
TITTLE : THE BLACK HERMIT
AUTHOR: NGUGI
WA THIONG’O
SETTING : KENYA
CHARACTERS
REMI – the main character.
OMANGE – his friend
THONI – his inherited
wife
NYOBI – his mother
JANE – his girlfriend
PASTOR – the leader of the
church
LEADER – the leader of
elders
1ST ELDER
2ND ELDER
1ST NEIGHBOUR
2ND NEIGHBOUR
WOMAN
ACT ONE - THE COUNTRY
Scene
I – In the Hut
Thoni and Nyobi are in
a hut when Nyobi notices that Thoni has been crying. She (Nyobi) complains
since Remi does not reply the letters she sends to him. She advises Thoni to
find another husband but she refuses. Thoni believes that Remi hates her. She
wonders why men do not rest in her hands. Then Nyobi gets an idea of asking the
pastor to go the city to look for Remi since he was once a God-fearing child.
The elder comes to ask
Nyobi to give them a mother’s blessing to their traditional medicine that will
make Remi come back. Being a Christian she hesitates a bit but later
overwhelmed by a mother’s desire to see her son back, she betrays her heart,
giving the required blessings.
Scene
II – A meeting ground. In the Open
The elders of the
tribe meet to discuss the return of Remi. They discuss how the situation is
worse to them even after independence. Poor social services, taxation are just
a few. They believe that Remi’s mind was spoilt by the evil eyes of their
neighbours. Then they turn to the mountain to say a prayer. Then the leader
cautions that when Remi comes back he must not fall under the influence of his
mother nor the pastor.
Scene
III –The Same.
The pastor meets Nyobi
and she confesses that she has betrayed her faith. The pastor believes Remi was
polluted when at the university by engaging in politics. Then Nyobi asks the
pastor to go and look for Remi in the city. The pastor agrees.
ACT TWO –THE CITY
Scene
I – In Remi’s room
Remi is with his white
girlfriend in his room. In their conversation Jane discovers that there is
something that has been disturbing Remi for so long. Jane requests Remi to tell
her about his background and she suggests that Remi should take her to his
parents but Remi puts it aside and suggests that they go to the night club
instead.
Scene
II – the same room
Remi is visited by his
friend Omange and the two discuss a lot about the political situation in the
country. They discuss the dangers of tribalism, religious factions, and racism.
Remi narrates his background to Omange; how he loved Thoni who got married to
his brother and how his brother died. He shows that according to their custom
his father asked him to inherit Thoni and that is the reasons why he ran to the
city. Omange advises him to go back home.
The elders come to
persuade Remi to go and save them. They explain to him the troubles they get
just because of his absence. They leave the room dropping a bundle of medicine
at the door way. The pastor comes to see Remi for the same reason. Eventually
Remi promises that he will go back home. The pastor goes and leaves the bible
behind.
Scene
III – the same room (a few days later)
Jane visits Remi again
and Remi is determined to go home. She insists to go with Remi but he refuses.
She believes may be it is due to their differences in races that Remi is
denying her so she promises to be faithful to him and his people. She insists
that Remi should tell her about his history. Lastly Remi tells her that he is
married. She is disappointed and the two come into a conflict. Finally Jane
runs out.
ACT THREE – THE RETURN
OF THE HERMIT
Scene
I –Nyobi and Thoni in the hut
Nyobi and Thoni
discuss the return of Remi and Thoni is happy. The pastor joins them and
insists it is the work of Christ. The 1st neighbour rushes into
the hut announcing the meeting of so many people who have come to meet Remi.
The pastor narrates how Remi addressed the meeting with a roar. How he came
with a man from another tribe and said he is his brother and theirs. How he
blamed the elders for preaching tribalism etc. Remi attacks the pastor for
dividing people and his mother for making him marry Thoni. On hearing this
Thoni disappears.
Scene
II – the same Thoni foretells her death.
Thoni begins thinking
of going where no one can find her. She talks to the woman about her death in a
figurative way. The woman advices her to go and stay with her since Remi is not
the only tree under whose shadow she can rest. She says; goodbye mother, goodbye
father, goodbye my village and goes out.
Scene
III –the death of Thoni.
Omange and Remi talk
about their success in the meeting. They discuss their future strategies.
Omange suggests the state to lead the way and the Africanist part to give back
the settlers land to the people. Then Remi receives a letter from a woman who
blames him for what he did to his tribe. Omange reads the letter and notices
how Thoni expresses her love for Remi. They begin searching for her and hope
that she will be found.
Remi regrets for what he has done. Then four men enter
carrying Thoni’s body on a stretcher. Remi becomes remorseful for what he did
to her. His final words are “oh, what have I done? I wish you sent the
letter earlier. But I never gave you a chance, nor even tried to understand
you. I came back to break tribe and custom, instead, I’ve broken you and me”
CHARACTERIZATION
REMI
He is the
son of Ngome and Nyobi.
He
is educated. We are told that he is the only one in his Marua tribe who
has had a chance to go to the university.
He
is a betrayer. He betrays Jane by refusing to marry her as he promised.
He also betrays his tribe for not using his education to help them solve their
social problems instead he runs away to the city to enjoy the city pleasures
leaving his people in a bad situation.
He
has a changing behavior. At first we are told he is God-fearing, but
when he later goes to the university he abandons religion and becomes an active
politician. Also at first he is shy with girls but later he becomes bold with
ladies. Jane confirms this when she says “you! Shy with girls! And you
almost ate me the very day you met me in the club!” pg20
He
is an active member of Africanist Party which is in power. He has a
strong convincing power. He convinces his people to join the party and they
obey him.
He
is a revolutionist but uses wrong approaches. He is against tribalism,
racism, and religion factions but wants to bring changes overnight without
giving the villagers enough time to adjust. This makes his strategies to prove
a failure.
He
is arrogant because of his education. Because of his education he
despises the elders including his own mother. He addresses them without respect
and by attacking rather than educating, something that makes him fail to reach
his goals. He says “there is no time for soft hearts” pg 53 in pg 48 he
says “everything will give way to my leadership”
He
is a victim of outdated customs. He is forced to inherit the widow of
his late brother without his consent. He believes the lady does not love him so
he runs away.
He
is remorseful (regretful). He seems genuinely remorseful for what he
had done to Thoni. He says “I came back to break Tribe and custom,
instead I’ve broken you and me.” Pg 58
OMANGE
He is
Remi’s friend from Njobe tribe.
He is
very wise and aware of the effects of tribalism, racialism, and religion
factions after independence.
He is a
good advisor. He advises Remi on different matters including going back to his
wife and giving her a chance to express her love to him.
He is
after changes and believes that education is necessary for changes.
THONI
She is a
very obedient village girl who gets married to Remi’s brother.
She
is a widow. She lives alone after her husband’s death. She is inherited
by Remi according to the custom but he runs ways leaving her alone.
She
has true love. Thoni is portrayed as a person with true love to
Remi. Despite the fact that Remi runs away from her, she is determined to wait
even for 20 years. She does not want to take the third husband as Nyobi advises
her.
She
is patient and optimistic. Despite the terrible loneliness she is
experiencing she still hopes that one day Remi will come back to her and is
determined to wait for him.
She
suffers from intrapersonal conflict. This happens since her husband is
dead and now she faces loneliness. Then her next husband Remi has disappeared.
Something that she might translate that he does not love her. Expressing her
situation she says “why do men not rest in my hands? Death took away my
first husband. Now the next, his brother has left me. The hut’s gloom and
loneliness has started eating into me.” pg 4.
She
uses a wrong approach to solve her problem. When Remi comes back and
degrades her in public she decides to commit suicide. This is one of her
weakness.
NYOBI
She is
the wife of Ngome and Remi’s mother.
She
is a sympathetic and caring mother. She takes care of Thoni like her
own biological child. She wishes to see Thoni having happiness and she is
deeply hurt when she sees the loneliness that Thoni is experiencing.
She
is a good advisor. She advises Thoni to take a husband who will restore
her happiness. She also advises Remi to be careful by the way he deals with
villagers. She says to him “My son, don’t be dazzled by the blaze which will
burn for the night and tomorrow it is out.” Pg 48
She
suffers intrapersonal conflict. She suffers an intrapersonal conflict
after the death of her son, followed by her husband and the later disappearance
of Remi.
She
is a Christian. She is a very devoted Christian but at some times
because of a mother’s desire to see her lost son, she blesses the traditional
medicine that may help to bring Remi back. She admits this by telling he
pastor; “And I, overwhelmed by a mother’s desire to see her son back,
betrayed my heart, giving the required blessings” pg 14
She is
disappointed by Remi’s changes. She becomes disappointed by the way Remi
who was once God-fearing has changed. She even wonders how Remi talks to her in
a rude way. “You talk to me so? You talk to me so? Pg 48
PASTOR
He is a
strong Christian who mentors Remi to be the future leader of the Church. He
even goes to the city to find Remi for the same reason.
He is
against traditional beliefs although he also takes part in advising Remi to
inherit Thoni.
He is
blamed for causing disunity in the society.
He too is
optimistic. He believes that Remi who was once a God-fearing child will change
and lead the church after he has retired.
JANE
She’s
Remi’s girl friend in the city working in the office as a typist.
She
is anti-racism. She believes that colour differences should not create
barriers between people. She tells Remi “What matters is not race,
creed, or custom, but whether individuals can meet and understand one another”
pg 36
She
is betrayed by Remi. Jane is betrayed by Remi when the time comes
for Remi to go back home he refuses to go with her.
Finally
she runs away leaving Remi alone.
TITLE OF THE PLAY
The title of the play
is “THE BLACK HERMIT.” A hermit is a person who,
(usually for religious reasons), lives a very simple life alone and does not
meet or talk to other people. The word black here may simply
imply an African. That is to say the hermit in this play is an
African man who decides to run away from his society to be alone (hermit)
avoiding some circumstances in his African society.
Tracing through the play we
can see the main character REMI running away from
problems in his Marua tribe to become a hermit in the city as
he says himself speaking to Jane “…to be a hermit means escaping from what
is around you. My tribe was around me” Pg 35. Among the reasons that
make the main character to arrive at this decision include the following.
Remi
becomes a hermit because of outdated customs like widow inheritance. Remi
runs to the city to become a hermit because of being forced to inherit the
widow of his late brother. This can be revealed in his conversation with Jane.
JANE: “you call
yourself a hermit! A black hermit? You are not a hermit. A hermit looks for
truth. You ran away from the truth of your position. Tell me why did you run
away from your wife?
REMI: It wasn’t a
really marriage
JANE: Why not?
REMI: She was my
brother’s widow. I had to marry her. It is a sacred custom of Marua tribe….” pg
39
Also
Remi becomes a hermit because of Tribalism. The tribe wants Remi to
rule them because he is the only one who has university education. They do so
because they want someone from their tribe to represent them in the government,
something that Remi is protesting against. This can also be revealed in his
conversation with Jane.
REMI: “…to you
tribalism and colonialism, the tyranny of the tribe and the settler are
abstraction. To me they are real. I have felt their shaft here. Yes,
they have made a wound here, a wound that made me run to the city.” Pg 36
Remi
runs to the city to look for White collar jobs
Additionally, he
ran to the city to get a job in the office and earn a living and stay there
forever but later he is fed up of the city as he says “I hate working for
these oil-companies that have invaded our country. “Files, files, files all day
long” pg 21.
SETTING
The
setting of the play is Kenya after independence. Additionally, the play has
employed the urban and rural settings.
Urban
setting is portrayed by incidents like, night clubs, white collar jobs (like
Remi is working in Oil-Company-), people of different races; these are common
features in towns/cities. On the part of the rural setting there are practices
like traditional customs such as widow inheritance, traditional religion,
tribalism, living in a hut and the like are common in the villages.
STYLE
The
playwright has employed the dialogue style throughout the play. There are few
cases of flashback technique especially when Remi narrates his Brother’s death
and back when he was at the college.
Also we
see the middle of the story is found at the beginning and the beginning is in
the middle of the story. The scene begins by showing Nyobi comforting Thoni who
has been crying, but we do not know why until later when we are told that her
husband died and Remi who was to inherit her has run away. There are also some
cases of foreshadowing. People try to foreshadow the return of the hermit
(Remi) and how he will lead them to victory.
To enrich
his style he has also made use of songs as in page 47 when the villagers sing
the national anthem welcoming the hermit back home. Pg 47
Mungu ibariki Afrika
Ili ipate Kuamka
Maombi yetu yasikize
Uje
Utubariki
Uje roho
Uje roho
Takatifu
Uje roho utubariki
LANGUAGE USE
The
language used is simple and straight forward. The choice of words is
also perfect since there are words that help the reader to get the message
across easily. Words like tribalism, racism, taxation, forced community works;
bribes etc help us to know the kind of life these people experience.
There is
also frequent use of religious language especially by
the pastor and Nyobi e.g. “Salvation is not achieved through the flesh” pg
16. Let us pray, God of Abraham, God of Isaac,” Pg 16
Moreover
the play is full of figures of speech. Some of them are:
FIGURES OF SPEECH
Reiteration.
“Files, files,
files all day long” pg 21
“Depends, depends,
depends on the kind of kind of what!” pg 23
“Oh promises,
promises. I should have known what promises mean to you” pg 39
Onomatopoeia
“Cha cha cha” pg 22
(imitating the sound of music)
“Ha, ha, ha,-!” Pg 8
(sound of laughter)
Simile
“A trade union without
the right to strike is like a lion without claws and teeth”. Pg 23
“He became lost to us
like a seed which falling on the wayside lacked nourishment of the rich
earth,...” pg 16
“To be like an
unwanted maize plant” pg 50
“Falling into bits
like a cloth long hung in the sun” pg 3
Metaphor
“My wound is a woman”
pg 25
“She is a seedling
whose eventual fruit will be a blessing to us all” pg 16
Personification
“Your silence touches
my heart” pg 29
“Our tribe wails under
the new government.” Pg 29
“The tribe waits for
you” pg 30
“The world will not
wait for you” pg 3
“The bite of the cold
wind” pg 38
“The best woman the
village has ever borne” pg 54
“It’s all darkness,
swallowing you wholly” pg 50
“And now I must go for
darkness calls.” Pg 52
Exaggeration.
“Remi your son and
ours is the only educated man in all the land, exceeding in knowledge all the
people, black and white put together” pg 7
“Couldn’t they read my
heat?” Pg 26
“The only educated man
in the country” pg11
Parallelism.
“To be laughed at, to
be flouted, to be driven out, and by him, my husband.” Pg 50
“Goodbye mother,
goodbye father, goodbye my village.” Pg 52
Allusion.
“Remi refused to go to
Nineveh, he fled to the city of idolatry” pg 17 (reference to the Jonah saga in
the Bible”
“He became lost to us
like a seed which falling on the wayside lacked nourishment of the rich earth,
He dried up.” pg 16 (reference to the Parable of the sower in the bible)
Euphemism.
“Though your husband
was called and also your first son...” pg 16 (to express that they died.)
“You shy with girls!
And you almost ate me the very day you met me in the club!” pg 20 (referring to
the act of making love)
Oxymoron.
“These eyes have seen
rain come and go.”
“Have seen sunrise and
sunset.”
“Birth and death
alternating” pg 3
Saying.
“A man’s public life
is given meaning only by the stability of his private life.” Pg 32
‘A woman’s joy is
scolding her children” pg 3
“A woman without a
child is not a woman” pg 3
THEMES IN THE PLAY
AFRICAN TRADITIONS AND
CUSTOMS
There are different
traditions and customs portrayed in this play. Some of these traditions give us
an impression of cherishing and preserving them for the future generation and
some do not.
(a) Spouse
inheritance (Widow Inheritance)
It is a
common custom among African societies and Marua tribe is no exception.
According to Marua tribe, it is possible to inherit the wife of a brother who
is dead. Remi finds himself faced by this fact when his brother dies of a motor
accident and his father and elders tell him to inherit the wife of his late
brother according to the custom. Speaking to Omange he says, “he called
me to his bed and said: ‘Remi you know our custom. Your brother’s wife is now
your wife”’. This is one of the reasons why Remi runs to the city.
This custom is dangerous especially in this era of HIV/AIDS because more often
than not in some cases it is not possible to know whether the person who died
was HIV positive or not. So it should be discouraged.
(b) Superstition
and witchcraft
In this
play it is shown that the Marua elders believe in the power of Marua medicine.
They believe it has power to work on Remi’s mind and change his attitude and
decide to go back home. As they go to look for Remi in the city one of the elders
carries a bundle of medicine well-wrapped with dry banana leaves. On leaving
the house he drops it at the door way. Pg 31
Moreover
the Marua people believe that the neighbouring communities are jealousy of
them. They even attribute Remi’s disappearance to black magic that might have
been used by their neighbours to turn his mind against the tribe. Pg 7. Also in
page 12 the leader says; “who can doubt that Remi’s mind was spoilt by the
evil eyes of our neighbours?” This custom is not good as it may
lead to hatred and unnecessary conflicts among communities just because of
false speculations. So it should be discarded.
(c) Traditional
religion.
In this
society some people are still traditionalists who believe in traditional
religion while others have followed Christianity. For example when the elder
talks to Nyobi to convince her to bless their medicine he says
“Last month our
diviner had a message from God. He had vision and there, he saw the tribe
expand, becoming powerful, dominating the whole country” pg 8.
This shows that they
believe in their traditional god who decides their future.
Before
the elders leave for the city they go to the mountain to say their prayers.
This is also bad since the mountain cannot hear nor answer their prayers.
(d) Tribalism
and racialism.
Some
African societies perpetuate the spirit of tribalism and racialism. This is
very bad custom that has to be stopped. For example Remi hates this and is
trying his level best to stop it. He says “even at college I hated many
small political and social organizations based on tribe and race” pg 24. He
also comes with Omange, a man from Njobe tribe and introduces him as his
brother and theirs too.
Also
racism is shown in two ways: Africans don’t want people from other races; the
elder says “and married this woman a daughter of the tribe, instead of
going to a white-skinned woman. We were happy.” page 6. That’s the reason
why Remi refuses to take Jane home because she is different.
Asians
ostracize people who cooperate with Africans. In page 22 Omange says “This
affair of an Asian girl who has been ostracised by her community because she
was seen going around with an African is not an isolated case.”
(e) Respect
to elders/parents.
In this
society or family the young are supposed to respect the elders or parents. Remi
accepts to inherit his brother’s wife at first as a way of showing respect for
elders. Talking to Omange Remi says: “…here were people I was leading. I had
asked them to be true and faithful to the Africanist Party. They had obeyed me.
Now they were asking me to show similar obedience. Finally I agreed to live
with her”. Pg 28
Later
when he stays in the city, without answering his mother’s letters, she
considers this as lack of respect. She says “this world is really bad, not
the same as the old when sons still gave respect to parents…- many letters have
we now sent to him, but no reply. Not a word from him. A child I bore” pg
1. Respect to elders when the cause is right can be cherished.
(f) Christianity.
Ever since the coming
of the Whiteman, African societies were divided into two major beliefs. There
are those who remained traditionalists following the religion of their
ancestors and those who were converted to Christianity. In this play both cases
are portrayed. The elders represent those who have decided to uphold their
traditional religion while people like Ngome, Nyobi, Remi and Pastor chose to
become Christians. However, in this play the division is obvious, since
religious differences have brought more conflicts and disunity and have split
the country apart.
(g) Spouse
beating.
Although it appears in
a nutshell, it cannot be ignored. It seems that there is spouse beating in this
society. Nyobi admits this in page 3 when she says: “I have tasted the
pains of beating, the pangs of birth and death’s blow”
POSITION OF WOMEN IN
THE SOCIETY
Women
are portrayed as tools for pleasure by men.
In this play we see
Jane being used by Remi just to satisfy his sexual desires, but when it comes
to the issue of marrying her Remi refuses. It is then that Jane realizes that
she was used as a tool for pleasure. Jane complains “Ah, Remi, cant you
remember all the sweet hours we had together? Please take me with you don’t
leave me here alone.” Pg 35
Women
are portrayed as weak individuals.
In this society women are undermined
and reduced to properties that can be inherited when the first owner passes
away. This Marua custom does not give a woman a chance to decide who will be
her husband or whether she loves him or not. Rather she has to conform to the
wishes of the elders by marrying the brother of her husband. However, this
custom seems to be one of the major causes of conflicts since Remi runs away
from Thoni believing that she does not love him. On coming back he gives
degrading words that make Thoni commit suicide. It is also revealed to us by
Nyobi that women are beaten ““I have tasted the pains of beating, the pangs
of birth and death’s blow”
Women
are portrayed as care takers/custodians.
Nyobi is portrayed as a mother
who takes a good care of the children. Also she wonders what has become of
Remi, her own son since he does not reply the letters she sends him. She
becomes unhappy for this. She even agrees to bless Marua medicine so that her
son may come back. The elders mock her by saying “Her son is dearer to her
than her Christianity.” pg 12
Women
are portrayed as people with true love.
Thoni is portrayed as a person
with true love to Remi. Despite the fact that Remi runs away from her she is
determined to wait even for 20 years. She does not want to take the third
husband. She says “I cannot go to a third husband” pg 2 and she adds in pg
4 “no, no, no, I will not go with another, but him I call my husband,
even if I wait for twenty years and more I shall bear all” pg 4 When
Remi abuses her in public she takes her life showing that she had a true
commitment to Remi.
Women
are portrayed as sympathetic people.
Nyobi sympathizes with Thoni due
to her state of loneliness and even advices Thoni to take another husband to
conquer her world of loneliness. Also the woman advices Thoni not to think of
killing herself. She even invites Thoni to go and live with her.
CONFLICTS
This refers to the
misunderstanding or collision of ideas, viewpoints or opinions within a person,
between or among groups of people in the society. Or it is a situation in which
there are opposing ideas, opinions, feelings or wishes. Like other plays, in
this play there are several conflicts as analyzed below;
(a) INTRAPERSONAL
CONFLICT.
Due to some
circumstances, there are different intrapersonal conflicts among the following
people.
Thoni. She
suffers intrapersonal conflict since her husband is dead and now she faces
loneliness. Then her next husband Remi has disappeared something that she might
translate that he does not love her. Expressing her situation she says “why
do men not rest in my hands? Death took away my first husband. Now the next,
his brother has left me. The hut’s gloom and loneliness has started eating into
me.” pg 4.
Nyobi;
she suffers intrapersonal conflict first, due to the sudden
death of her son, followed by her husband and the later disappearance of Remi.
She expresses this by saying “My heart is still heavy with grief…, my first
son, so big and strong was taken from me just like that,…, our tears had hardly
dried before my man follows, and now Remi, …”pg 6
Second, it is with the way
Thoni lives in loneliness, thinking of Remi. She advises her to get another
husband but Thoni refuses to move from one husband to another like a common
whore.
Remi;
he suffers intrapersonal conflict because of the circumstances taking place in
the country and his tribe in particular. That is why he runs awayto find peace
in the city but the problems follow him there. The whole country is suffering
from tribalism, racialism, and religious factions. All Remi is doing, is to not
only expose the cantankerous effects of tribalism, racialism and religious
factions but also to root them out with both hands.
(b)INTERPERSONAL
CONFLICT.
These are conflicts or
misunderstanding between two people.
There
is a conflict between Remi and Jane. This occurs when Remi wants to go back
home and refuses to take Jane with him. It grows bigger when Remi tells her
that he is already married and Jane becomes angry since Remi has wasted her
time lying to her that he would marry her. She says to Remi “do you honestly
believe that race matters, that the colour of my skin or yours should form a
barrier between people?” Pg 36
There
is a conflict/misunderstanding between Remi and Omange. Remi wants the
government in the new independent country to be strict. E.g. People have no right
to oppose the government; workers have no right to strike for higher wages.
Omange opposes this idea by saying that trade union must have the right to
strike and demand for their rights. For him “a trade union without the right
to strike is like a lion without claws and teeth” pg23
There is
also a contradiction on the question of marrying Thoni. Remi believes that she
does not love him or else she wouldn’t have married his brother. Omange tells
him to give her a chance to express her love to him since one cannot read
someone’s heart or feelings merely by appearance.
(c) FAMILY
CONFLICT
There is a family
conflict between Remi and his mother. This occurs when Remi runs away and
leaves Thoni in loneliness and on coming back he attacks his mother in public.
Remi says “And you mother. I turn to you. What did you do to me? You harped
on my weakness and made me marry a woman whose love and loyalty will ever lie
with those in the grave”. NYOBI replies “you talk to me so?
You talk to me so?” pg 48
(d)CULTURAL CONFLICT.
There is an obvious
conflict between traditionalists who follow traditional ways of life and
Christians. When discussing the coming of Remi, the elders want Remi to be on
their side, and lead them as a tribe to victory and want him to stay away from
his mother and the pastor. On the other hand the pastor wants Remi to be the
future leader of the church. He sees politics as something bad and urges that
he should stay away from the tribal influence. This causes segregation and
disunity among the people.
(e) POLITICAL
CONFLICT.
There is a conflict
between the new government and the citizens. The conflict arises from the fact
that they fought for independence thinking that things will change when they
get independence. But to the common people life is still hard as they have no
land, taxation is a burden to them while the ministers and their Permanent
secretaries fatten on bribes and inflated salaries. Independence has not
reduced the amount of racial tension. Omange says “since independence
tribalism and tribal loyalties seem to have increased. And even the leaders who
were the supporters of the Africanist Party are the very ones who are
encouraging these feelings” pg 23. Also the government has enacted a
legislation against strikes. That is why even Marua people want Remi to
represent them in the government so that they can also enjoy the national cake.
(f) SOCIAL
CONFLICT.
There is a conflict
between Remi and his society. This results from the approach in which Remi
addresses the people without respect. He attacks them for perpetuating
tribalism, religious differences and shackles of custom. He says “I will no
longer be led by a woman, priest or tribe. I will crush tribalism, beneath my
feet, and all the shackles of custom.” Pg 49. They all wonder how he could
be so rude to them. The pastor narrates how he addresses the people with anger
that some elders go away in guilt and shame. Pg 47
DISUNITY
This
implies a lack of agreement between people. Disunity has become a major barrier
to the struggle for change in the country. This problem is caused by tribalism,
racialism and religious factions. This has become a real obstacle in fighting
for their rights. Remi is used by the playwright as his mouthpiece to condemn
racialism, tribalism and religious factions in this society. To show that he
hates this division and wants to inculcate the spirit of nationalism he
says: “we must help ourselves…. Turn hearts and minds to create a
nation, then will tribe and race disappear. And man shall live free..” pg
48. Then he advises the pastor. “Even you, Pastor. You and other Christians
must not live isolated. We must join hands..” pg 48
To show
his hatred for tribalism he comes with a friend from another tribe (Njobe
tribe) and introduces him as their brother. He tells the people to build more
schools as education is the key to success.
BUILDING THE FUTURE
Remi is struggling to
build a better future for his society. He wants people to develop and be free.
They suggest some of the ways through which they can bring changes.
People
must be united and work cooperatively.
Tribalism,
racism and religious differences must be crushed down.
Education
should be insisted as an instrument of change in the country.
The state
must play its part by leading the way. Omange suggests for instance that“the
Africanist Party must first give back the settler’s land to the people.
Illiteracy ought to be abolished within a year otherwise they’ll revert to
tribalism and religion as a cure for their ills” pg 53
However, changes must
go step by step. Remi is too fast in his approaches. He attacks the leaders and
other people instead of educating them first, the cantankerous effects of
Racism, tribalism and religious differences. As a result he jeopardizes his
relationship with other members including his own family members. He admits by
saying “I came back to break tribe and custom, instead I’ve broken you and
me”. This is to say his intention was right but he used a wrong
approach.
PROTEST
This is the expression
of strong disagreement with or opposition to something. People in the play show
protest against unfair new Blackman’s government in the country which practices
the colonial regime.
They
protest against exploitation through heavy taxation. They say that independence
has brought them “heavier and heavier taxation” pg 11
They
protest against land alienation. It is shown that the land has been taken by
the settlers and the people who fought for independence have no land. They ask
“look at our country since independence. Where is the land” pg 11
They
protest against poor social services like schools, hospitals etc. they ask; “where
are the schools for our children?” pg 11
They
protest against oppression. They are made to work for long hours without pay.
They
protest against poor living condition. They condemn the government for telling
them about roads while they are hungry. “we are told about roads, about
hospitals; but which hungry man wants a road?” pg 11
Remi
protests against tribalism by the leaders, religion isolation by the pastor and
other Christians and racism.
Remi also
protests against some tribe customs like widow inheritance. He decides to run
away from home to avoid such outdated customs.
THE INFLUENCE OF
EDUCATION.
In this
play education has been portrayed as an important tool in bringing awareness.
Remi is aware of many political and social affairs because he is educated. He
joins the Africanist Party and becomes an active politician. He realizes the
dangers of tribalism, racism and religion factions in the building of a nation.
Also
through his education he gets a job in the Oil-Company but later realizes that
it is exploiting the country.
Education
has given confidence to Remi to attack any challenging situation and he is even
no longer shy to face girls. He also boldly attacks the elders and the pastor
simply because he is more educated than anybody else in his tribe.
Nevertheless,
his education has made him proud and boastful, feeling superior to the
villagers. He wants to abolish all tribe customs at once and introduce new
lifestyles without giving the people enough time to adjust themselves. He
speaks harshly to the elders and to his mother and rejects Thoni in public.
This is arrogance as a result of negative influence of
education.
TRIBALISM
This
society seems to be affected by tribalism to a large extent. The elders
especially are more affected. They do not view things as a nation but as a
tribe. That is one reason why Remi decides to act against them. They want him
to be in the government to represent their tribe interest. For example the
leader says; “not one of our skin and blood is in the new government” pg
30.
Moreover
when they go to persuade Remi to come back to the village, this is all they
have got to tell him “We want a tribal political party” another
adds; “A Prime Minister from the tribe”. Pg 31. This is
one of the dangerous enemies to nation building which must be discarded if we
want to create a spirit of nationalism.
CORRUPTION
Though it
does not appear throughout Remi points it out in his conversation with Jane. He
shows that the government officials enjoy good life just because they take
corruption (bribe) while workers like teachers starve. In page 21 when Jane
suggests that he should go back home and become a teacher he says “And
starve – while ministers and their permanent secretaries fatten on bribes and
inflated salaries”
CLASSES.
Just like most
societies, in this country also there are classes. There are classes based on
economic status and those based on faith (religious differences).
The
rich and the poor.
There is the class of
the rich people comprising the leaders, settlers and other company owners who
enjoy the national resources by paying themselves high salaries and engaging in
corruption. On the other hand is the class of the poor citizens who are exploited
through, forced community work, low wages, taxation, land alienation and have
generally poor living conditions and inadequate social services like schools,
hospitals and the like.
Christians
and traditionalists
Another class division
in this society is between the Christians being represented by the pastor,
Nyobi, and other converts, and the non-Christians (traditionalists) being
represented by elders. The playwright shows that the division is so severe and
intense to the extent that the Christians isolate themselves from other people.
Their division is even seen in the way they want to influence Remi when he
comes back. Christians do not want him to fall under the influence of elders
while elders also do not want him to fall under the influence of Christians.
So generally we learn
that class division is not healthy in any society that wants to get sustainable
development since they become their own enemies instead of becoming the authors
of their own destiny.
BETRAYAL
There are also cases
of betrayal in this play.
First,
Remi betrays Jane by refusing to marry her as he promised. Remi promises Jane
to marry her when the time is ripe and the two spend time together as lovers.
When the time comes for Remi to go back home he tells Jane that he is already
married and cannot go with her. She complains; “Just now you are betraying
the ideals you used to mirror before my eyes” pg 36
Second, Remi
also betrays his tribe for not using his education to help them solve their
social problems instead he runs away to the city to enjoy the city pleasures
leaving his people in a bad situation.
Third, the
government has betrayed the citizens. During the struggle for independence the
people were asked to join the nationalistic movements and they agreed, later on
their situation remains unchanged after independence. For example they
complain, “Look at our country since independence. Where is the land?
Where is the food? Where are the schools for our children? pg 11
This is to say the
promises for which they fought have been betrayed.
Forth,
Nyobi betrays her Christian faith by blessing traditional medicine. When the
elders tell her that they want to bring Remi back but they want a mother’s
blessings to attend them on that difficult journey, she says “with all my
heart, go in peace, and success attend you” having discovered her fault she
regrets “I know Christo hates our medicine. Suppose God punishes me so
that Remi does not come back?” Finally they mock her by saying “Her
son is dearer to her than her Christianity” pg 12+
MESSAGES FROM THE PLAY
Running
away from problems is not a way of solving them.
We do not
solve problems by committing suicide.
Outdated
customs like widow inheritance and superstitious beliefs bring more problems to
the society so they should be discarded.
Bringing
about changes is not an overnight process. It needs time, determination, focus
and patience.
Tribalism,
racialism, disunity and religious conflicts are obstacles to development.
Betrayal
is not good as it causes unnecessary conflicts.
We should
use our education positively to bring about changes.
Classes
should be discouraged as they bring disunity in the society.
RELEVANCE OF THE PLAY
The play is relevant
in a number of ways:
1. There
are people who run away from problems as a way of avoiding them but finally
they find themselves haunted by the same problems.
2. There
are people who commit suicide as a way of solving their problems.
3. Betrayal
is common among African countries particularly Tanzania. The leaders do not
fulfil their promises to the citizens.
4. Widow
inheritance is still a common custom among many Tanzanian tribes like the
Kuryans of Lake Zone.
5. There
are people who still believe in superstition and witch craft as a way of
solving their social problems.
6. Racism
and tribalism are still common phenomena in some African countries like South
Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, etc.
7.The
newly post-independent governments in Africa have not solved the people
problems yet. Only those in power are enjoying life while the common people are
suffering.
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